Turkish president urges US to abide by NATO obligations

It is wrong to say NATO equals the U.S., President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday, pointing out that all countries in the alliance were equals to the U.S.

In his remarks to the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party's parliamentary group in capital, Erdogan called on the U.S. to abide by NATO obligations.

"What kind of NATO membership is this? What kind of NATO alliance is this?" he asked.

"As president of Turkey, [I say] NATO is not equal to the U.S., all countries [in the alliance] are equals to the U.S."

Erdogan's remarks came before the U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's visit to Turkey this week.

The U.S. has supported the PYD/PKK terror group, which is the Syrian offshoot of the PKK terrorist organization that has waged a more than 30-year war against the Turkish state which has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths.

American support for the terror group has long vexed Ankara as Washington views the PYD/PKK-led SDF as a "reliable partner" in its fight against ISIL and continues to provide it with arms and equipment in the face of strong objections by Turkey.